Free Items You Can Sell On Ebay

Ebay is a great place to make a few extra dollars. What can you sell on Ebay? Almost anything! You don’t have to invest a lot of money in inventory to make money. There are items that you can find for free to sell on Ebay. Yes, I said Free! Some of these require a little effort but the cost is zero. These are things that you pass by or are thrown away every day.




1. Box Tops for Education (BTFE): Many products that you probably buy to eat already have the BTFE label so the BTFE cost is actually zero. Yes, people buy these on Ebay. It is best to sell the BTFE during the school year. Some schools have classroom contests where the class that collects the most gets a prize or party. The BTFE sell on Ebay for about .10 each. I recommend collecting at least 100 BTFE so your profit is not eaten up by Ebay fees.



2. Coupons: When I mention coupons, most people think of the coupons that come in the Sunday paper. Yes, you can sell those on Ebay. But expand your thinking to any coupon on the internet or from any store. You can find tear pads of coupon in grocery stores and coupons in magazines. Discount coupons for stores can also sell extremely well. Some examples are American Eagle, Janie and Jack, and Build a Bear. A Janie and Jack 20% off coupon sold for $32!!



3. Business Throw Away Items: Businesses throw out items every day that can be resold on Ebay. Two examples are shipping supplies and empty ink cartridges. You do have to get the courage to ask if you can have the items.



a. Shipping Supplies: People that sell on Ebay or through their online business need shipping supplies. Many businesses throw out packaging material such as packing peanuts and bubble wrap. Some businesses to approach would be flower shops and pottery stores. As a seller on Ebay, I receive all my shipping supplies for free from a local “paint your own pottery” store.

b. Empty Ink Cartridges: Every business uses a printer. Many businesses still throw away their empty ink cartridges. You can sell empty ink cartridges on Ebay.



4. The Garage Sale Free Box: I love garage sales! Many garage sales have a free box where you can just take things from the box. Look the items over carefully and take a few. When you get home, check Ebay for selling prices of your items. Remember to group items together. For example: the Wizard of OZ happy meal toys don’t get a high price per individual item but a group could get you $10 to $25.



5. Craigslist: There is a section on Craigslist for free items. Most of the items in my area are furniture but you may find some items that you could resell individually or as a group.



6. Freecycle: The idea of Freecycle is to keep items out of the landfill. Freecycle does have a policy that you should not pick up Freecycle items for resale. BUT there are a few exceptions to this rule. If you repair or otherwise reuse the item in a different way then it is ok. This is great for people who can repair appliances or crafters! I have a friend who makes mosaics and she gets individual dishes from Freecycle . She sells her crafts at craft shows.



7. Rebate items: It is possible to get items free after rebate or register rewards. Some of the stores that offer free after rebate items are Menards, Staples, Office Max, Walgreens, CVS, and Rite Aid. Staples has offered high value items such as backpacks and batteries. Just be aware that some stores, such as Staples, require that you spend the rebate in their store. So you don’t actually get cash back. It is still a good deal if you would be buying other items at that store.



So look around and keep your eyes open! Those free items can make money for you on Ebay.
 
 
 
Thanks to Sandy for the guest post today: Free items You Can Sell on Ebay.
Sandy is an avid Ebay seller, collector and bargain hunter.
She has the web site Troll Dolls Guide, which talks about collecting Troll dolls and a bargain hunter's blog called Smart Cents Mom.